Faecal microbiota transplantation in pigs in order to improve feed efficiency

Previous studies suggest a link between the intestinal microbiota and feed efficiency (FE) in pigs. Therefore, we investigated if faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in sows and/or offspring, using inocula derived from highly feed efficient pigs, could improve offspring FE. Pregnant sows were assigned to control or FMT treatments, and the resultant offspring to control, FMT once, or FMT four times. The FMT altered sow faecal and colostrum microbial profiles, and resulted in lighter body weight in 70- and 155-day old offspring. This was accompanied by FMT-associated changes within the offspring intestinal microbiota, including transiently higher faecal bacterial diversity and load, and numerous compositional differences at the phylum and genus levels.